The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-25

little bunker church, one mile north OF Sharps-
burg, and half mile further north in corn
field. the battle ragged the fercest ana longest
Between the church and the town, little TO tne
east still runs the ..sunken road" that was
nearly half filled with the dead and wounded
In this part of the field it was that Meade,
Mansfield, Sedgwick, Hancock, sumner, hicn-
ardson. Hooker. French, Siocum. Douoedav:
Couch and Franklin commanded; WniIe opposed
to them were Lawton. Jones. Evans ID. ID. Hill.
Away TO the north was Burnside, the lower
bridge now known by his name; while opposed
TO him was the great rebel Toombs, and later IN
the day A. p Hill For some reason. for which
no satisfactory explanation has yet been given,
the battle did not commence here for seven
hours after It had in the north By this neglect
Lee was able TO concentrate his army we'll to
enemy in check. The plan at the bridge
was TO in rush and
drive the enemy from the heights. At this
place the road on the east bank comes up she
stream, crosses on the bridge, and continues on
the stream some thirty rods before it turns
TO the northwest There is only convenient
space between the abrupt bluff and the river
bank for the road. In attacking the enemy at
this point the federaists exposed for q
considerable distance in coming mp the road,
and more so in making the turn at the end or
the bridge. On the opposite, the confederates
held commanding position, with the Second.
Twentieth and Fifteth Georgia regiments The
first attack WAS made by the Second Maryland
and Sixth New Hampshire regiments. only to
be driven back The second charge was oy the
Fifty first New York and Fifty first Pennsylva-
MA, supported by the Twenty first and Thirty
fifth Massachusetts, The charge was brill
liant one. and the destruction of life fearful
Here in this road. whore only the occasional
hoof on the road. or the Growing ehanneleer
from the near farm-yard breaks the silence,
more than 500 brave men fell victims to the car
mage of bloody warfare Save monument
erected at the end of the bridge TO the memory
of their fallen comrades by the Fifty first Penn
sylvania regiment, not vestige of that fearful
charge remains. Nature has put on her most
pleasant smile at this place Nearly mile west
of this bridge A. P. Hill met the victorious
troo DIS of Burnside and held them in check until
the kindly shades of night had settled down on
the bood-stained fields and lawns
During all the day OF the battle Mcclellan
sat in a chair in the yard of farmer Pry fully
a mile east of Antetem creek. with spy glasses
swung stakes, surrounded by his staf
Never did his presence in any way animate MS
soldiery. No comm nder WAS ever more popu-
lar with his men than Mcclellan, and how his
presence would have cheered on the shattered
columns From this house two-thirds of the
field is visible. Few places are moro beautiful
in rural scenery than the field of Antietam; sit
uated in the great valley OF the Shenondoan.
with the Elk mountains the background,
where Mcclellan had his signal corps, with
the little village of Sharpsburg at the further
side. with tho richest soil. producing the finest
crops in Maryland it presents scene OF peace
and quiet, where q stranger would never dream
that the fierce thunder of warfare had ragged
and ranked and thousands of men had yielded
their lives in defense or theories or facts
they believed to be- right These farm houses
and buildings that were then torn with shot
and smell, have all been repaired. In yon-
der corn-field the farmers boy husks the corn
quietly and unconcerned as if no leaden hail
had once filled the air around There trips the
milk calling the kline from tie field
affair." and then singing q simple but
cheering air. apparently unconscious that
the great solid shot and screaming she'll
once tore up the earth where she now sits
peacefully milking her cow. Over there in the
lane fair-headed children run and eleefully play,
ignorant of the fact that their little feet press
the very soil where the blood of many noble
and brave life was drained, and where many a
heroic soul took it's flight to its Maker.
AS night settled down upon the dsld of battle.
from the heights we'll back and west of the An
tietam the federal artillery cleaned and thun-
dersi at its rival the fields still further west.
All night long the warriors slept upon thor
arms while everywhere was the cleaning Ian
tern of the relief corps searching out the
wounded and carrying them to the hospitals east
of the creek. The next day (September 19) there
was an mplisd truce between the armies, while
each burying it's dead On the morning o.
the 10Th it found that Lee had retreated and
crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown, two or
three miles southwest of Sharpsburg.
In this great battle :, 361 men fell dead and 16,
529 were wounded. w. w. THORNTON